5 Kingdoms That Will Make You Rethink What You Know About African History

There were more great civilizations in Africa than the Egyptians.

With the exception of Ancient Egypt, there is a widespread assumption that Africa was only inhabited by pastoralists and nomadic people in between the migration of Homo sapiens more than 130,000 years ago, and the arrival of European colonialists in the 19th Century.

As your resident archaeologist, I am here to show you otherwise.

Let's dig in!!!

Via GIPHY

1. Kingdom of Mapungubwe

en.wikipedia.org / Via Wikipedia

Established in the 11th Century, the Kingdom of Mapungubwe was located in the modern-day border between South Africa, Zimbabwe and Botswana.

"Mapungubwe", which means "Hill of the Jackal", was the first major Iron Age Kingdom in Southern Africa. This explains the exquisite gold craftmanship found in royal site burials, such as the Gold Rhinoceros (pictured).

In addition, the Kingdom of Mapungubwe was the centre of a highly developed trading system, focused around the export of gold and ivory to China, India and Egypt.

Nowadays, the archaeological site of the city is a World Heritage Site, and it forms part of the Mapungubwe National Park.

2. Kingdom of Zimbabwe

Doug Hendrie / Via slate.com

The modern state of Zimbabwe is located in, and named after, the Kingdom of Zimbabwe, which became established in the 13th Century.

After the Kingdom of Mapungubwe (above) was abandoned, its former inhabitants settled in the area of Zimbabwe.

Great Zimbabwe, its capital city, may have housed up to 18,000 people at its peak. It is famous for possessing some of the largest stone structures in precolonial Africa. Its largest building is known as the Great Enclosure, whose walls are up to 11m high, and extend for 250 m.

Interestingly, the region is still inhabited today by Shona hunter-gatherers.

3. Kingdom of Kongo

Via sahistory.org.za

Located in western central Africa, the Kingdom of Kongo emerged during the 14th Century. Its name comes from the KiKongo language spoken in the region.

It was a complex political formation similar to that of a modern commonwealth, with a central core state surrounded by neighbouring states, and built on mutual agreement, cooperation and marriage alliances.

Curiously enough, the arrival of the Portuguese in the 14th Century did not bring about a full-conversion to Christianity. This is because the Kingdom of Kongo was culturally and religiously strong, meaning the Portuguese missionaries depended on the King’s permission in order to stay.

Although certain Christian values were adopted, they coexisted with the pre-existing indigenous beliefs in the area. For example, the Catholic priest adopted the role of the nganga priest, and the Catholic mass included the cult to the earth and water spirits. Its 16th Century cathedral is claimed by many to be the oldest church in sub-Saharan Africa (pictured).

By the early 17th Century, approximately 100,000 people lived in the capital.

4. Kingdom of Aksum

Francesco Bandarin / Via unesco

The Kingdom of Aksum was situated in modern-day Ethiopia and Eritrea. It was a major trading center from the 1st to the 10th centuries AD, and was described by a Persian writer as one of the four greatest powers in the world at the time.

Prior to any contact with the Romans, the Kingdom of Aksum had extensive trade links with South Arabia. Later, the Roman historian Pliny describes Aksum’s exports as consisting of animals, silks, spices, glass, brass and copper, as well as ivory, which they sold to Egypt, Arabia, India, and China.

Aksum was also famous for its stelae. Stelae are great stone constructions used to gain prestige (pictured). The largest stelae, which is 33m high and weighs 700 tonnes, was carved from a single block of stone, making it the one of the largest monolithic structures of the ancient world.

The Kingdom of Aksum also had its own coinage, struck in gold and silver, and written in both Greek and Ge’ez, the local language.

Aksum is currently also a World Heritage Site.

5. Kingdom of Jolof

Via nairaland.com

The Kingdom of Jolof is located in modern-day Senegal, and was founded between 1150 and 1350 AD. It grew into an empire that was made up of a number of states, known as Wolof kingdoms.

In 1488, King Jeleen converted to Christianity in an attempt to establish himself as an ally of the Portuguese, on the basis of common religious interests with the European power.

Ultimately, his aim in doing so was to obtain access to the weapons and ships that had been previously refused to him because of his status as a non-Christian, and which he needed in order to consolidate his political authority against rival neighbouring communities.

Although not many physical remains of the Kingdom of Jolof have survived, some cultural evidence still does. For example, it is possible that the famous Jolof rice, a one-pot rice dish typical of many West African countries, may have emerged during the Jolof Empire.

Hope you enjoyed!!

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